SIBERIA….

Due west of Primorya, large swathes of Siberian territory were experiencing similar problems, the result of record low temperatures. The thermometer hit 45 degrees below zero Celsius in Novosibirsk and Irkutsk, 48 below in Barnaul, 50 below in Krasnoyarsk and 57 below in Kemerovo. The Arctic temperatures wreaked havoc on aging and rickety heating equipment and boilers, resulting in breakdowns of heating systems throughout the region and leaving thousands of people freezing in their apartments. The situation was exacerbated by insufficient reserves of coal and fuel, and civil defense officials accused municipal officials of being unprepared for such an emergency.